Late Port St. Lucie woman to be face of prescription drug abuse in St. Lucie

During Thursday's Sheriff's Office press conference announcing the billboard campaign, Bruce and Ann Kinkade of Port St. Lucie spoke about their late daughter, Jaclyn, whose photo will be on the billboards.

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
A billboard in the 2900 block of North U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce facing southbound traffic just north of St. Lucie Boulevard features a message on the dangers of abusing prescription pain medication. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office is erecting billboards about prescription drug abuse throughout the county. Jaclyn Kinkade, who is pictured on the billboard, died at age 23 after she became addicted to painkillers.

ERIC HASERT

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Whether it's face-to-face contact or through a billboard, the parents of a young woman who died because of her prescription drug addiction said they'll do what it takes to get their message out.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara announced Thursday a family awareness program for prescription drug abuse that will erect billboards throughout the county to profile the problem. The face of Jaclyn Kinkade, the 23-year-old Port St. Lucie woman who died of an overdose last year, will be on the billboards.

Her parents, Port St. Lucie residents Bruce and Ann Kinkade, said they want their daughter to be the face of the devastation prescription drug addiction has dealt to many families.

The billboards feature the words, "Abuse Of Prescription Pain Medication Kills!" in all capital letters. Jaclyn Kinkade's parents hope that her photo, coupled with her date of birth and her date of death — July 4, 2010 — on the billboard will help motorists and passersby recognize the threat the pills pose. Jacyln Kinkade was one of 42 people in St. Lucie and 91 on the Treasure Coast who lost their lives to the addiction in 2010, Mascara said.

The three billboard locations were donated by Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The Sheriff's Office used $2,310 in confiscated drug assets to pay for the design work on the billboards.

The billboards are on U.S. 1 near Edwards Road, Ulrich Road and Ridgehaven Road.

Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers first reported Jaclyn Kinkade's story three months after her death. Her parents talked in detail about their daughter in the Oct. 3 news article. The article used medical records released after her death to show how one young person's life spiraled out of control because of addiction.

In the article, the Kinkades said Jaclyn's addiction led to her losing her job and stealing to pay for her drug habit. She had started using pain medication after experiencing minor back pain following a car accident, her parents said. However, her use of the drugs quickly became an addiction.

Jaclyn Kinkade was prescribed more than 2,000 pain pills during a six-month span, according to medical records.

The Kinkades found the photo of their daughter for the billboard on her laptop after her death. It was one of thousands of pictures she had of herself on the computer, Bruce Kinkade said.

"She and her friends used to spend two to three hours a night putting on makeup and doing their hair before they went out," he said. "After a while, that stopped. That's one of the signs that addiction is taking over. You see uncleanliness set in. For the girls, they stop with the hair and makeup. They just throw on a pair of sweatpants and go."

Since the article ran in October, the Kinkades have spoken to various groups, met with students and traveled to the state capitol to discuss the addiction issue.

"After we spoke at one school, some of the students approached a school resource officer to tell them they had seen some kid in the bathroom trying to sell Xanax," Bruce Kinkade said.

The couple is also meeting with people at the Sheriff's Office booth at the St. Lucie County Fair Friday and through the weekend.